Crystal River current., 1887-04-16
OUR EXPENSIVE SENATE.
What II Costs to Keep Congress In
I3unning Order.

OOu 6AG6tNStVs
What II Costs to Keep Congress In
Running Order.
The Legislative, executive, and judi
cial appropriation bill. now on the
house calendar, aggregates $2O, 286, gil.
This amount is $418,5 ,545 below the sum
appropriated for the current fiscal year
and 1886, 900 below the estimate OF the
secretary of the treasury. 1t is usual
for the committee on appropriations in
preparing their bills to take into con-
sideration the fact that many of the
amounts reported will be increased by
the house and many others by the
senate. Acting upon this theory, the
committee reduce some of the amounts
presented in the estimates in the full
belief that the figures reported by them
will be raised. Judging from previous
experience. it is risking little that the
pending bill will be increased in
amount at least 81, 900 200 by the time
the senate completes it.
An examination of the expenses of
the senate and house reveals few in
teresting facts. The total amount ap-
propriated for the senate is $500, 1863,
which does not include $41, 900 asked
for to pay private secretaries to sena-
tors who are not chairmen of commit
tees, and which amount the senate will
certainly add. The salaries of rs sena-
tors amount to $3SO,00O. To wait upon
these 76 senators the services of PIG
officers and employees are required. at
an annual cost of $500. 389. These
figures show that the services of three
attandants are necessary to each sena-
tor, the average annual pay of the at
tendants being $1,391. The attendants
are employed not more than 10 months
of the "a months included in u session
of congress, which would give each of
them salary of $27S per month for
the time actually employed.
To pay salaries to 1925 representatives
and delegates S1.695. 900 is required
and to pay 304 officers and employees.
1888, 113. The difference between
these figures and those representing
the aggregate required to pay senate
officials is worthy of notice, as it will
explain in some measure the annual
squabble between the two branches on
this question. The average paid the
house officials is 1924 per annum.
which is $147 less than that paid by the
senate. The senate force is equal to
three attendants to each senator, while
that of the house is less than one for
each member.
The mileage of senators costs 1888. 900
per annum; that of representatives
$110.624. The senate mileage divided
per capita would give every senator
over S434. sum sufficient to furnish
each of them with first-class passage
from San Francisco to London or Paris.
The house mileage foots up $11O 624
which is equivalent to $333. 90 per cap
ita. The allowance per mile is 20
cents each way. At the last session the
mileage of officers of the army and
navy, when travelling under orders,
was fixed at 8 cents per mile. At the
present session, in the sundry civil bill,
this allowance was fixed at actual ex-
penses, exclusive of sleeping and par
lor car charges, and 4 cents per mile.
Able arguments were made in the house
to show that this allowance was ample.
If ample to cover the travelling expens-
es of all other government officials,
why not apply it to members of con-
gress? Here is good opportunity to
save $75. 900 per annum.
For contingent expenses the bill pro-
vides for the senate $69, $3.50. and for
the house $113. 937. These sums, divid-
ed per capita, would give each senator
from the contingent fund 1921. and
each representative 342. Summarizing
the incidental expenses of congress-
men, exclusive of their annual salary of
$4,000, each senator costs the govern
ment to provide him, with attendance
over $5, 307 per annum. and the cost of
each representative and delegate is, $1.-
$40. The senate's total for personal
attendance is S4O3,379; that of the
house, $612, 674.-New York Times.